- Biden said Putin's invasion of Ukraine will cause a "complete rupture" of US-Russia relations.
- Biden strongly condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and announced new sanctions.
- "It's going to be a cold day for Russia," Biden said. "You don't see a whole lot of people coming to his defense."
President Joe Biden on Thursday said Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine will cause a "complete rupture" of US-Russia relations if it continues.
Biden condemned Putin and his escalating invasion of Ukraine in a speech from the White House. Biden, who met with G7 members on Thursday morning, also announced a raft of new sanctions against Russia on Thursday.
"What's the risk that we are watching the beginning of another Cold War, and is there now a complete rupture in US-Russian relations?," a reporter asked Biden following his address.
"There is a complete rupture right now in US-Russian relations if they continue on this path that they're on," Biden said. "And in terms of a Cold War, that depends. You have the vast majority of the rest of world in total opposition to what he's doing … and so it's going to be a cold day for Russia. You don't see a whole lot of people coming to his defense."
—CSPAN (@cspan) February 24, 2022
Biden announced a second round of harsher sanctions targeting Putin-allied Russian oligarchs and Russian financial institutions and trade capabilities.
"We have purposely designed these sanctions to maximize the long term impact on Russia and minimize the impact on the United States and our allies," Biden said.
Biden also reiterated that the United States has no plans to send troops to fight in Ukraine, which is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a group of 30 countries that are politically and militarily aligned and provide for common defense.
Still, Ukraine borders NATO member states Romania and Poland, and the war in Ukraine threatens to destabilize all of Europe. Biden said that while US troops will not be going into Ukraine, "the United States will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full force of American power.
On top of the sanctions, a senior defense official said in a Thursday statement that at Biden's direction, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin "has ordered the deployment to Europe of approximately 7,000 additional Service Members."
"This would comprise an armored brigade combat team with associated capabilities and enablers," the official said. "They will deploy to Germany to reassure NATO Allies, deter Russian aggression and be prepared to support a range of requirements in the region. We expect them to depart in the coming days."
The "associated capabilities" could include weaponry like tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and light armored vehicles.
Ryan Pickrell contributed reporting.